Cable ties generally consist of a band with a head attached to one end of the band. The free end of the band feeds through the head to form a loop enclosing the objects being tied together, which, for example, may be two or more electrical wires of a wiring harness. The head typically contains locking teeth which interlock with teeth in the band during band adjustment, and then maintain a desired band periphery. One example of a low-profile cable tie is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,239, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Cable ties are normally finish-tightened and the extending tail is also cutoff by a tool that tightens the engaged tie to a pre-set tension and cuts off the tail in a single motion. If the tension is not properly set, the tie will be installed either too tightly or too loosely. If installed too tightly, the cable tie must be removed, and a replacement installed. There are many other situations in which installed cable ties need to be removed.
Most times, installed cable ties are removed with a pair of cutting pliers having opposed cutting jaws. In order to remove the cable tie, one jaw of the pliers must be forced underneath the cable tie. This can damage the underlying structures and compromise the wire bundle or other objects that are secured by the cable tie. For example, if the insulation jacket covering a wire is damaged, the wire will need to be replaced, which can be expensive, and is sometimes difficult or impossible to accomplish. Also, some strength and expertise is required in order to remove a cable tie in this manner, which means that the user must be properly trained in the use of the cutting tool.